Right now I think the pro-gun side has more adherents than the anti-gun side, but the anti's are much more vocal.
To some extent, that may be correct. However, they have the mainstream media on their side. They have a greater capacity to shape public opinion on the matter.
Furthermore, define "pro-gun." Folks with our level of involvement? We're the minority, even within the gun culture. The average gun owner doesn't think there's anything wrong with "common sense" measures like "background checks" or bans on "assault weapons." He wonders why we make such a big deal about it.
That is, if he's even aware of the issue at all. Most gun owners are not politically active. Most don't even vote.
So like I said, I don't see an outright ban of these types of rifles ever happening.
You'd be mistaken. Right now, things are looking very much like they did in the late 1960's. We have a lame-duck President who supports gun control and wants it to be part of his legacy. We've had the high-profile shooting of a politician. We have tremendous demographic tensions boiling over in some areas.
Congress resisted Johnson and Dodd's attempts to pass gun-control legislation. Then Robert Kennedy got shot. The next morning, the House passed the predecessor to the Gun Control Act. Nobody had a chance to fight it. We were blindsided. That can happen again.
As for bans, consider Nelson Shields. He was the founder of Handgun Control Inc, which now calls itself the Brady Campaign. This is what he had to say on the matter:
The first problem is to slow down the number of handguns being produced and sold in this country. The second problem is to get handguns registered. The final problem is to make possession of all handguns and all handgun ammunition–except for the military, police, licensed security guards, licensed sporting clubs, and licensed gun collectors–totally illegal.
We’re going to have to take this one step at a time. . . . Our ultimate goal—total control of all guns—is going to take time.
The people he groomed and trained are the folks asking for "common sense" measures right now. Once they get a foot in the door, we can expect bans.